New Beginnings Mixed In With Weddings
by Summersetlights
Summary: Five minutes until her mother get married, Clare talks to her father. Randal Edwards gives her a bit of advice that leads her to someone's house.../Eclare/


**_Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi._**

* * *

><p>Clare Edwards watches as people whisper brightly in their seats. Her heart thumps and pounds under her lacy dress. She sweats under the white fabric and she hums, trying to take her mind off of what was happening. She had a cheap bouquet of flowers in her hands and her palms gripped the thick roots with such power that could only be associated with being scared.<p>

"I give them three months," A bitter voice said from the church, and Clare felt her body shake with anger as the women from her mother's work talked gossip, "She just got a divorce, this man is just a rebound."

She may not have liked the idea of her mother getting married to Glen, but she sure didn't want her mother to get divorced in three months. After thinking about it, Clare realized that she just wanted her mother to be happy. She deserved that much, especially after the cheating fiasco with her father. Her mother deserved roses and kissed and soft touches, and Glen gave that to her.

In that aspect, Clare was more than happy for her mother.

But then, there was a part of her - the little and naive part of her- that still believewd that her father would step up and declare his undying love for his ex-wife. And also, it felt too soon. It was only a couple months time since the divorce, and suddenly, Clare was now standing outside the doors of an old catholic church.

And there was also the situation with Jake.

The...awkward situation with Jake.

After spending their time making out and going at it, they now had to respect and look at each other as siblings. And at first, Clare became angry that she had finally found someone, and once again, they were taken away. But she knew that even without the wedding, they would have still ended it.

Clare looked up nervously at the old clock that was just above her head. The large hands moved ever so slowly and mocked her with every moment that passed. She just wanted this day to be over. She just wanted to go home and ignore the people that had moved in a week before. But mostly, she wanted to go home and maybe see if a certain...boy was online.

This boy was becoming her best friend again. They were spending more and more time together, taking each night for a ride. They'd talk and mouth the words to the songs that they barely knew. They'd go to different coffee places and pick up the other misfit; Adam Torres, who often showed his scars to the ladies that they met. And then they'd all sit in the old abandoned church and talk about the bitter problems that kept them up at night. Like, Adam and the fact that he wasn't a total guy. He was a man in the mind, but when it came to the body, he lacked the requirements. And then when Eli talked, he talked about the people he hurt and how he was worried that no matter what he did, he'd hurt people. Then, Clare would spill her inner thoughts and talk about how scared of change she was. Of how she winced at ever hint of changed that happened throughout her life. And these nights kept them alive and kept their spirits up.

The clock chimed and it was only five minutes until three, which was the special marriage number. Clare shifted on her feet and slipped out of her heels. They dug into her skin and left blisters that made her wince.

"Psst."

Clare stared down at her stomach and scolded herself for not eating. She was sure that if she had eaten, she would have puked. But now, she felt fine but her stomach was making rather obnoxious noises.

"Pssst."

This time, Clare looked around and realized that the noises were coming from the body behnd her. She smelled him before she saw him. She smelled that outdoorsy musk and smelled the liquor that was coming in waves from him.

"Daddy?" She squeaked out, and she felt like a little kid who just wanted to jump into her father's arms.

"Clare-bear." His gruff voice said and she wanted to tell him to stop the wedding and to stop everything, but she just pursed her lips together. The divorce papers flashed in her mind.

"What are you doing here?" She asked curtly, crossing her arms, and the flowers stuck out at a awkward angle.

"Your mother invited me," He whispered, looking around him, obviously not wanting to be seen, "But I told her that I wasn't coming...but I can't miss her wedding, you know?" He offered a broken smile and Clare rolled her eyes and turned back to the wooden doors. His scent still taunted her. She wanted to be angry at him, but he was her father.

"You cheated." Clare whispered, a ball of pain bubbled into her throat and she swallowed it down with difficulty. A sigh sounded out from behind her.

"You weren't supposed to know about-"

"Well, I do," Clare snapped, and looked up at the clock. Three more minutes. She just wanted it to end, "And I don't think that you should be here. She's getting married. You're out of her life."

"And you have no idea how much I regret it, Clare-bear." his words came out tender and Clare felt her heart break in her already broken chest.

"You chose it, though. You chose to cheat on her. It's all your fault, daddy. You...did all of this. It's your fault that she's here marrying someone else! This is all your fault."

"I know," He muttered, and rested a hand on her shoulder, "But coming here to see your mother isn't the only reason I came. ...While I was getting the last of my stuff from the house, that boy came over. And he shook my hand and asked me if you were available. And I said that you were at the wedding. When I said 'wedding' he froze and told me..interesting information. He told me that you and Jake used to date. He told me a little bit of what's been going on with you the past few months. And he told me to just look out for you a little bit, because he was worried. That's why I'm here. Because...I want you to know that no matter what, I'm here. And if I wasn't, that kid would probably attack me."

Clare licked her dry lips and caught her breath. "Was this Eli?"

"Yeah, but that other kid was with him. The one that shows off his scar." And at that, Clare giggled, her shoulders shaking.

"You need to go to him, though," Mr. Edwards said, interrupting her laughter, and Clare went silent, "I've never seen a boy talk about a girl like he talked about you. And trust me, I've seen you talk about him the same way. Don't think that I wasn't watching you during Taco night. And please, nothing hurts worse than losing the chance to be with someone you love."

She hung her head and closed her eyes tightly. "I know. Trust me, I know, but right now, I need to do this for mom. I can't think about Eli-"

The sound of footsteps cut Clare off, and both daughter and father looked nervously around. The footsteps came closer and closer and Clare had and urge to push her father out of the way. She was sure that it was a relative, which meant a lot of hatred towards her father. But when a woman in a slightly casual white dress stepped out of the shadows, Clare's mouth opened. She had never seen her mother so beautiful. Her hair was tied back in a bun and her tanned skin was golden under the white lace. The dress neckline drooped slightly, which made the fabric flow nicely. Her brown eyes widened at the sight of her ex-husband, but she looked away and looked directly at Clare.

"Go." She commanded, and Clare looked behind her, trying to figure who her mother was talking to, "There are vents in this church, I heard every word." Mrs. soon-to-be Martin admitted, "I can hold the wedding off for a couple of minutes, but I honestly do not want my daughter sulking the while wedding. So, please, talk to Eli for a couple of minutes. ...I know how much everything has changed for you. So, please. Just do this. And I want you to come back with a big smile on your face!"

But Clare was already out the door as her mother yelled the last sentence.

.

.

Her heels clicked against the pavement and she didn't even feel the stinging blisters that flamed. Her dress waved brilliantly in the wind, and the amount of whistles that she got made her smile lightly. Clare felt like she was in a movie. She felt like she was in those stupid chick flicks where the girl runs to the guy and admits her feelings.

That was exactly what she was doing.

She pumped her legs harder and turned onto his street. She felt her stockings rip, but she continued to run. Her anxiety beat desperately out of her chest and made her feel dizzy. But, she kept going until she reached his doorbell.

The annoying buzz of the doorbell made her cringe, but what opened the door, made everything okay.

Elijah Goldsworthy wore a smirk on his plump lips. His grey Dead Hand shit clung close to his body, and his hair covered his jade eyes. He looked her over, and Clare blushed at hs stare.

"You look absolutely beautiful."

And with that, she threw caution to the wind. For a second, she forgot that her mother was getting remarried and her father smelled like alchol. For once, she forgot what she was supposed to do, and she stepped forward and wrapped her fingers around his neck, pressing their lips together. Their bodies flushed together in a mix of love. And they didn't need words. No. With their mouths working and their hands guiding, everything was natural. Their tongues tied and their hearts pounded along.

Clare took a step back, and Eli traced one of the freckles on her cheek, "Thank you." She whispered, and the boy didn't question why she was saying thank you. And he also didn't question why she was running away.

And as Clare ran to the church, she promised herself one thing: She would never make the mistake that her father did. His mistake made her learn that when you have something lovely and wonderful, you can't let it slip through your fingers.

So, for the first time all morning, Clare walked through the church doors with a smile on her face.

She was ready. She was ready for anything.

* * *

><p><strong><em>So. I know that this has a lot of mistakes but I'm in a huge hurry, so htwhwrht<em>**

**_A review would be lovely!_**


End file.
